Ed Gerlach began playing piano at the age of 5 before switching his focus to soprano saxophone and later tenor saxophone. Gerlach discusses his career as a saxophonist, including his time with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Gerlach also share his...

When she was named Principal Dancer for the Houston Ballet in 1990, Lauren Anderson became the first African American to hold such a position in a major ballet company. Anderson talks with Linda Lorelle about growing up in Houston, her ballet...

Yvonne Streit, a native Houstonian, graduated in Education from SMU and started teaching. Born from the despair of her deeply disabled daughter, she relied on her faith-driven resolve to assist the disabled adults and young children. She used a...

Businessmen Welcome Wilson has served as Assistant Director of Civil Defense for the city of Houston; assistant to former Mayor Roy Hofheinz; State Director for the Defense Mobilization headquarters in Denton, Texas; and real estate and financial...

Jane Ely describes her career as a journalist working for the Houston Post. She talks about gender discrimination in her field, the coverage of the J.F. Kennedy assassination, and other events that made news at the time.

James Bolden was born in Houston in 1945. He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was twelve, and learned chord structure out of a book. Bolden started singing when he was 19. He relies on his musical knowledge, his life experiences, and...

A collection of radio addresses from Mayor Oscar Holcombe. Mayor Holcombe gave some of these radio addresses in 1940 during his re-election campaign. He spoke about the achievements of the Holcombe Administration and the proposed projects...

As a young man, Juan Gallardo faced hardships in his hometown of Pueblo Nuevo, Mexico, after the Mexican Revolution. Fearing that conditions would not improve after the war, Gallardo left for America in 1919. After he arrived in Houston with no...

Joseph "Joe" Jamail talks about growing up in Houston in the 1930s and his career as one of the top lawyers in America. He is considered one of the wealthiest lawyers in the nation and is often referred to as the King of Torts. Joe has given...

Braunig, Brandy--Interviews ; Social Workers--Texas--Houston--Interviews ; University of Houston--Graduate School of Social Work ; Oral histories

Brandy Braunig graduated as part of the inaugural class of the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Houston. She then went to work for the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA) of Harris County. Braunig speaks very...

By answering an ad in the Houston Press, Rosalie Clements became an employee of the Shamrock Hotel, which opened on Saint Patrick’s Day, 1949. She began working as an assistant to the hotel’s developer, Glenn McCarthy, and later ran a successful...

In this oral history, Johnny Goyan describes how he got interested in politics and his election to the Houston City Council. Goyan served under three Houston mayors -- Lewis Cutrer, Louie Welch and Fred Hofheinz -- and shares his perspectives on...

Christia V. Adair was born in Victoria, Texas in 1893. She attended Sam Houston College in Austin and Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College (now Prairie View A&M) where she received her teaching certificate in 1914. Mrs. Adair worked as...

Luis Cano was born in Corpus Christi and was inspired by his grandfather, Juan Bautista Galaviz, who worked to educate the Mexican American community of Del Rio, Texas, about their history and heritage. In the 1970s, Cano came to Houston and taught...

Mrs. Esther Kaduri was born in Morocco, grew up in Israel and then worked in Toronto, Canada. In 1978, the family moved to Houston. The Kaduri family was part of the group of Sephardic Jews who started the Beth Rambam synagogue. In this interview,...

Dick Gottlieb was a former TV entertainer who decided to run for city council in 1969. He beat the incumbent in a run-off election achieving an upset victory. He credited his TV image and prior experience as a fundraiser for local and national...

Bill Lawson, a political activist and civil rights organizer examines his life as a religious leader, and his participation in racial desegregation efforts in the Houston communities during the Civil Rights Movement.

Robert Eckels describes his experiences as former Harris County judge. He discusses politics in Harris county and in the city of Houston, as well as his involvement in handling the influx of the evacuees from New Orleans during hurricane Katrina,...

Mayor Bill White Collection;Houston Oral History Project : a great city voices its past.